


I'm always gonna want you back

by dahyunayeon



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: 230s, F/F, Friends to Lovers, dance au, friends to rivals to lovers, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24223990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahyunayeon/pseuds/dahyunayeon
Summary: Jeongyeon and Sana were best friends in high school, but they split after Jeongyeon moved. Years later, they find each other as rivals in a dance competition, and it's very clear they haven't forgotten their past.
Relationships: Minatozaki Sana/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 168





	I'm always gonna want you back

**Author's Note:**

> commissioned by @kyrios230 on twitter, thank you so much! I hope i made jeongsa justice. also big thanks to pablo as always for putting up with me and proof reading this

_ November 2014, Osaka, Japan. _

The wind blows and lifts a bunch of fallen autumn leaves in the air. Jeongyeon shivers when the chilly breeze hits her legs. Her skirt flows slightly and her hair gets over her eyes, so she tucks the astray brown locks behind her ear. The tip of her nose feels frozen, just like her fingers tightly wrapped around the handle of the bike she’s dragging next to her. She exhales and a small puff comes out of her mouth. Someone chuckles next to her and Jeongyeon turns to look.

Nothing manages to mess up Sana’s pretty hair, tied neatly in a high ponytail, with a ribbon and all. The tip of her ears are flushed from the cold; her hands are covered by the sleeves of the school jacket she’s wearing, one size too big for her, and her arms are crossed over her middle. She keeps sighing every now and then. Jeongyeon can’t stop looking at her.

As they go, so do the last few rays of sunshine, and purple light falls over them momentarily. The sky gets dark and the wind even colder, harsher. The darkness doesn’t last for long, the street lamps light up and Jeongyeon watches as the orange hue falls on Sana’s features. Her eyes are downcast, totally different from her usual lively demeanor. And she keeps biting her lip, something she does when she’s deep in thought.

Jeongyeon has been looking for the right words to say since she met with Sana early in the morning; anything that could make the bitter look in Sana’s face go away. But she knows there’s nothing she could say to comfort her, and she might end up upsetting her even further; so Jeongyeon keeps quiet. 

Sana’s house comes into sight and Jeongyeon feels her heart clench. Her stomach feels hollow; she could throw up. They slow down their steps as they approach the building, then stop on the sidewalk. Jeongyeon leaves the bike against the brick wall and takes a deep breath before facing Sana. Her eyes are teary but she’s smiling at Jeongyeon.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sana whispers, she doesn’t trust her voice to not shake were she to speak any louder. Jeongyeon’s heard Sana say that so many times; every day when she walked her home from school. It made her feel giddy, excited about seeing Sana again the next day. Today, it fills her with sorrow and makes her stomach sink. Still, she nods and tries to reassure her friend.

“Yeah. I’ll wait for you.” Jeongyeon purses her lips and swings on the balls of her feet. She avoids looking at Sana, but she feels her stare fixed on her. Jeongyeon clears her throat, she doesn’t want to drag the moment any longer. “Bye then...”

“Wait-” Sana grabs Jeongyeon’s wrist, flinching when she feels how cold the oldest is. Jeongyeon bites her lip, she didn’t want Sana to know she was cold. “Your jacket…” Sana begins to take it off but Jeongyeon stops her with a hand to her shoulder.

“You should keep it. I won’t be needing it anymore.” Jeongyeon smiles, but it’s bitter and doesn’t reach her eyes. Sana gulps and slowly lets go of Jeongyeon’s arm. “Go inside before you catch a cold.”

Jeongyeon steps away from Sana as she unlocks the front door and gets the bike inside. While Sana isn’t looking, Jeongyeon blows hot air into her freezing hands, but as soon as Sana comes back outside she acts like everything is ok. Sana seems to be at a loss for words, too; so she does what she knows best. She hugs Jeongyeon tightly, making her stumble backwards. Even after two years, Jeongyeon is still not completely used to how touchy Sana is, but she’s sure it’s one of the things she’ll miss the most. Jeongyeon isn’t one to reciprocate her affections, but this time she can’t resist wrapping her arms around Sana’s body and closing her eyes. Sana’s body is flush and warm against hers, and it serves to make her forget about the cold. 

Sana breaks the hug and she doesn’t spare Jeongyeon another glance before she goes inside her house, almost slamming the door closed. Jeongyeon is lowkey thankful she didn’t have to say goodbye.

With Sana gone, the cold takes over Jeongyeon’s body again. She’s only wearing her skirt and a very thin shirt, and she doesn’t want to catch a cold right before her flight. She jogs towards her house, three blocks away from Sana’s, ignoring the burning sensation on her nose and on her sides. 

In her room, Sana cries into her pillow. Her body shakes with her sobs and her throat feels dry. Her hands grip the jacket, it smells a lot like Jeongyeon and Sana wonders how long it will be until the scent fades away. 

She runs out of tears eventually. She takes her phone from her bedside table, pink and small, the one Jeongyeon teased her for when they first met. Sana opens Jeongyeon’s contact and reads the last text she got. 

_ I’ll be waiting for you.  _

Jeongyeon sent that while Sana was in her dance club meeting, probably waiting for her by the parking lot. Jeongyeon had quit the club when she found out she was moving away. Sana didn’t mention it, but she missed dancing with her. The thought makes Sana want to cry again. 

Sana’s eyes read over that last text a couple of times. She likes to think that it will always be the case, that Jeongyeon won’t stop waiting no matter how much time passes. She wipes a tear with her hand and takes a deep breath in. She starts typing a message.

_ I promise to find you, then. _

Sana stares at it for a while, finger hovering over the send button. She ends up deleting the message and turning her phone off.

♥

It’s six a.m and it’s freezing. Sana curses under her breath on her way to Jeongyeon’s house, small clouds leaving her mouth with every exhale. She’s bundled up in two hoodies and a padded coat, mouth and nose covered by a wool scarf, and she still feels the cold seeping through.  _ I should’ve worn longer socks.  _

When she gets to the Yoo residence, the cold is the last thing on her mind. Jeongyeon’s parents are dragging suitcases and boxes out of the house while Jeongyeon leans against the car, the vivid image of a broody teenager. She looks tired, but the second she sees Sana standing across the street, her eyes light up. They meet halfway in the middle of the road, and it would be dangerous if it wasn’t a saturday at dawn. 

Jeongyeon smiles at Sana; her toothy, crooked grin that’s so characteristic of her. “I thought you’d sleep in.”

“As if. You won’t get rid of me  _ so  _ easily, Yoo.” Sana smiles cheekily, her mood definitely better than yesterday. She already cried it all out last night. “I got something for you,” Sana reaches into her bag and pulls out a worn out poetry book.

“You could’ve kept this, you know,” Jeongyeon chuckles as she takes it. She holds it with both hands and stares at the cover. It was her favorite book, she had lent it to Sana some time ago; but after finding out she would be moving, she didn’t ask for it back. “Something for you to remember me by.” Jeongyeon mutters, running her thumb over the textblock.

“I don’t need to steal your stuff for that, silly.” Sana reaches up to fix Jeongyeon’s beanie, moving her bangs out of her face. Jeongyeon blushes and looks up.

Just as she meets Sana’s eyes, a tiny snowflake falls onto her face. They both look up at the same time, seeing all the flakes that have started to fall. Jeongyeon is mesmerized looking at the sky; Sana looks at her.

“This is the first snow, right?” Jeongyeon asks. When she looks down again, Sana’s eyes glint with something Jeongyeon can’t recognize. It’s something she’s seen a couple of times but can’t read no matter how much she tires. It irks her, because she’s used to easily knowing what’s on the girl’s mind, not needing more than a glance to understand her. And yet, she has no idea what  _ that  _ look means.

“It is. Just in time.”

Jeongyeon doesn’t get to ask what she means by that because her parents call for her. Jeongyeon waves them off and turns back to look at Sana. The situation weighs down on them and they realize that this is it. 

“I’ll see you eventually.” Sana breathes out, and she squeezes Jeongyeon’s hand before letting her go. They agreed on not making a big deal of their departure, but suddenly there’s a million things Jeongyeon wants to say and she’s run out of time. 

For the first time ever, Jeongyeon initiates affection. She leans down slightly and kisses Sana’s cheek. The kiss is soft and her lips linger on Sana’s cold cheek for a few seconds. Sana closes her eyes and her breath stills, her face turns crimson and her heart beats faster than ever. Never in a million years did she think Jeongyeon would do such a thing, but she also knows this is the only time it can happen, which only makes her feel bitter.

“I’ll see you.” Jeongyeon runs her thumb over Sana’s cheek, where yet another snowflake has landed. And in a second, Jeongyeon’s hand is gone and so is her warmth. She jogs towards the car and gets in without looking back. 

Sana stands there and watches the car leave, waving at Jeongyeon’s parents. She doesn’t move until the car has disappeared around the corner. Sana touches the spot Jeongyeon kissed faintly, as the feeling is still there and she wants to keep it forever. She makes her way back home with a heavy heart.

♥

_ September 2020, Seoul, South Korea. _

“Five, six, seven, eight-” Nayeon’s voice marks the steps, accompanied with the snap of her fingers. Her eyes are fixed on the mirror, trying to focus on herself and all her teammates at once. “Dahyun, you’re off beat.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s ok, let’s start again. This time lets try with music.” Nayeon pats the younger girl on the back and offers a smile. She’s not mad, she just wants the team to do well. “Jeong, do you need to take a break?”

Jeongyeon is by the back of the room, crouched down and with her head low. Her breathing is heavy and her whole face is red. “No, no, I’m just a bit out of shape, I’m sorry.”

“You can take a break you know,” Jihyo says from the other side of the room. She’s leaning against the mirror and drinking from a water bottle. “The song is pretty fast paced.”

“I’m ok, I promise. Just play the song,” Jeongyeon flaps her hand towards Nayeon. Her and Jihyo exchange a worried look before Nayeon turns the music on and they get into position. 

Jeongyeon does well up to the first chorus, but then she trips over her feet and almost knocks Chaeyoung down. The short girl helps her regain her balance, but Nayeon has already noticed. She stops dancing and sighs. With her hands on her hips, she turns around ready to scold Jeongyeon, but she gets interrupted by very loud music coming from the next room. It’s so loud it even drowns out their own song, despite the rooms being sort of sound proof. 

“I’ll go check what’s up. You should take ten.” Jihyo glares at Jeongyeon, worried, and she takes a towel before she leaves the room. Chaeyoung and Dahyun excuse themselves as well, saying they’re gonna go get something from the vending machine. Once Nayeon and Jeongyeon are alone in the room, the air feels heavy around them. The music from the other room subdues and Nayeon sits down next to Jeongyeon on the floor.

“You can tell us when it’s too much, you know? You’re here doing us a favor, it’s not like you owe us something.” 

“I want to do well,” Jeongyeon replies shortly, avoiding looking at Nayeon. “We’ve been practicing for weeks and I still can’t get things right.”

“You’re out of practice, that’s all. That’s what happens when you stop dancing to be scooped up in a library.”

“I couldn’t do both.” Jeongyeon pouts and shoves Nayeon. Her friend knows she had to choose between dancing and her career, she didn’t have enough time and it still stings a bit when they tease her about it. 

“We just have to get you oiled up.” Nayeon claps and stands up, she offers Jeongyeon a hand but she shoves it away and makes a disgusted expression before standing up by herself.

“Never say that again, please. Ever, in your life.”

“I meant because you’re rusty!”

“Just shut up, please.” 

Jihyo enters the room again and stops their banter from escalating further. Behind her come Chaeyoung and Dahyun, munching on some chocolate bars.

“What took you so long?” Nayeon asks.

“I was getting to know the enemy,” Jihyo smirks, looking at her teammates dramatically. “Those girls are also gonna be joining the competition. They’re from Japan and, let’s just say they look  _ very  _ athletic.”

“You went there to check them out?” Nayeon rolls her eyes at her friend.

“No, I went to ask them to turn down the music and, you know, happened to look respectfully for a bit.”

Nayeon scoffs and gets ready to start dancing again. “Right, you totally did.”

Jihyo frowns but she keeps quiet. She doesn’t understand why Nayeon looks so annoyed, but she lets it go and focuses back on the choreography.

After two hours (that felt like two decades to Jeongyeon) they are done for the day. Even Nayeon is a bit out of breath, and the two younger girls look on the verge of falling asleep. They all leave for the changing rooms, but Jeongyeon stays back.

“Aren’t you coming?” Nayeon asks her from the door, bag slinged over her shoulder.

“You girls go ahead, I just want to go over the steps once more.” 

Nayeon gives her a tight lipped smile and a nod, then she closes the door. 

Alone, in the quiet, Jeongyeon can practice more at peace. She goes over every move slowly, paying attention to detail and correcting her posture. As she repeats the same move over and over, her mind starts to wander and she thinks about some papers she still has to write, about how she hasn’t called her mom in a while, and then, brief as a flash, she thinks about  _ her. _ But she quickly represses the thought and decides that it’s best to go home and rest. 

It’s not that she thinks about her often, after all, six years have passed. But sometimes, when she dances, she can’t help but be reminded of her. She doesn’t entertain the thought for too long, thought. It’d be foolish to do so.

Jeongyeon is still distracted as she makes her way to the changing room, thinking about the last chapter of her drama she watched the night before. She opens the door carelessly, sure that by now she’s alone in the studio. 

That’s not the case, though, and Jeongyeon yelps when she comes face to face with a shirtless woman. The woman doesn’t yell, but she seems startled and she covers her chest with the towel she’s holding. Jeongyeon turns around and covers her eyes, horrified that she walked in on the stranger.

“I’m so sorry! Oh my god I’m so deeply sorry, I wasn’t thinking and I just walked in, I didn’t mean to.” Jeongyeon rambles nervously, red like a tomato. She hears a giggle and then some shuffling behind her, probably the woman putting on some clothes. 

“It’s ok, don’t worry,” The woman says with a noticeable accent. Jeongyeon stills for a second and she slowly brings her hands down. Her eyebrows knit together and her mind starts racing. The woman walks towards her and puts a hand on her shoulder, slowly making her turn around.

Her kind smile disappears and it turns into a gape. Jeongyeon feels as if somebody had slapped her. Their eyes meet and there’s no doubt-

“Sana?”

“Jeongyeon?”

Sana takes her hand back as if touching Jeongyeon burned. Her eyes roam all over the girl’s face, but Jeongyeon is just frozen in place. She had convinced herself that she would never see Sana again, that she was just a wonderful chapter of her life that was over. But now she’s in front of her, radiant and stunning and  _ beautiful,  _ just like Jeongyeon remembers her but multiplied by a million. 

She finally processes everything and she smiles again, and it’s exactly the smile Jeongyeon had etched onto her mind, the one Sana had reserved for her only. She reaches out for Jeongyeon’s hand, but the older woman steps back. Unlike Sana, she doesn’t seem happy, she’s confused and she wasn’t ready for what seeing Sana again would make her feel. 

“I- I’m sorry.” Jeongyeon whispers before turning on her heel and dashing out of the room. Sana is surprised, she didn’t expect her to react like that, and she doesn’t think twice before running behind her. 

Sana would be lying if she said she wasn’t hoping to run into Jeongyeon once she knew she would be traveling to Seoul, although she had no idea if the woman lived there still or if she had left for some other far away country. Sana hadn’t actively looked for her; she wanted to see if they would run into each other again, if that’s what the universe had planned for them. Knowing it did make Sana feel excited, scared, and nervous. 

She finally catches up to Jeongyeon on the sidewalk. She’s not far from the studio, leaning against a wall and trying to catch her breath. Sana chuckles and walks calmly towards her.

“It’s not polite to run away like that, Jeongyeonie,” Sana sing-songs. She startles Jeongyeon and she rests a hand on her chest; her heart really can’t catch a breath today.

“I’m sorry but I don’t know you,” Jeongyeon blurts out and Sana flinches a bit. She doesn’t know why Jeongyeon is reacting like this, she thought she’d be happy to see her, too. But after all, it was her who stopped replying to Sana’s texts years ago, so maybe Sana misread the whole situation. “I have to go.”

Sana doesn’t stop her nor does she follow her, she just watches her go and stays in her place, just like she did so many years ago.

♥

Jeongyeon softly bangs her head against the tiles of the shower wall. The water runs down her body and tiny droplets fall from her bangs onto her face. Her roommate bangs on the door for the third time, but Jeongyeon doesn’t react.

“You’ve been in there for an hour… I’m starting to get worried.” Tzuyu yells, pressing her ear on the door. “Can you at least let me know you’re alive?”

“I’ll be out soon!” Jeongyeon says, apathetic. She turns off the stream and gets out. A shiver courses through her body. As she dries and gets changed, she keeps berating herself for what she did to Sana. 

Jeongyeon wipes her hand over the fogged up mirror and looks at her reflection. She changed a lot in the last six years; but Sana seemed to still be the same girl Jeongyeon knew back then. Lively, smiley, overall a happy person. 

She drags her feet on her way to her room and Tzuyu stretches her neck from the couch to look at her. Jeongyeon closes the door and lets herself fall face first into her bed. She stays like that for a moment, letting her muscles relax before she slowly moves around and hugs a pillow. She wants to cry.

But she doesn’t have time to be sad, not with three papers due next week. So Jeongyeon gets up from bed begrudgingly and moves to her desk. She sits there for a bit, eyes unfocused and mind going back to Sana. Jeongyeon shuts her eyes closed when she remembers the state she found her old friend in; even if she didn’t actually see  _ anything _ , she still feels mortified just remembering it. She spins on her chair and looks around the room, looking for something to distract her from the Japanese woman. 

Instead, her eyes fall on the pile of books at the foot of her bed. Being a literature major, Jeongyeon’s room is full of books scattered around, but one in particular catches her attention. The red book is at the bottom of the pile, covered by much thicker and more important books. Jeongyeon bites her lip, she tries to ignore it, but she gives in and gets up to fetch it from the pile.

After Sana returned it to her, she didn’t read it again. She didn’t even open it, she just put it in her backpack and then left it on some shelf when she arrived at her new house. But she never got rid of it, and even when she moved out of her parents’ house, she still made sure it was safe inside a box. 

Once she has it in her hands, Jeongyeon blows the dust away and sits back on her chair. The cover is folded and the letters slightly faded, the pages have turned yellow. Jeongyeon flips through the pages mindlessly, but she notices there’s a piece of paper in between them. 

Her heart skips a beat when she takes out an old photograph. She purses her lips in a bitter smile, and her eyes water again. It’s a picture of her and Sana on Jeongyeon’s sixteenth birthday, barely a month before she left. Jeongyeon has a party hat and whipped cream on the tip of her nose and cheek. Sana has one arm wrapped around her neck and she’s pressing their cheeks together with a big, big smile on her face. 

Jeongyeon wipes her tears before they fall onto the photograph. She checks the back and finds a date, and Sana’s tidy japanese handwriting. 

_ Jeongyeonie’s birthday ♥ I love you forever _

She laughs bitterly; she remembers that day perfectly. Jeongyeon didn’t have many friends in Japan, she wasn’t good at the language and kids didn’t bother talking to her, but she had Sana, and that was more than enough for her. Jeongyeon leaves the photo on the desk and opens the book on the page where she found the photo. There’s a part of a poem underlined with pencil, and she has no doubt it was Sana’s doing, since Jeongyeon never wrote in her books. 

_ Come to me now once again and release me _

_ from grueling anxiety. _

_ All that my heart longs for, fulfill.  _

_ And be yourself my ally in love’s battle. _

Yeah, Jeongyeon’s gonna have to multitask and just cry while she writes her papers like a good college student.

♥

Jeongyeon feels like a little kid being scolded. She’s sitting on the floor of the practice room with Nayeon and Jihyo looming over her, arms crossed and threatening looks on their faces. Behind them, Dahyun and Chaeyoung hold hands and look scared even if they’re not the ones in the end of the menacing stares.

“I’m… sorry?” Jeongyeon tries with uncertainty in her voice. She shrugs and her friends sigh, tired.

“You know you don’t  _ have  _ to be here, right? If something is up-”

“No, I said I’d do it and I’m gonna keep my word.” Jeongyeon says stubbornly. “I’m sorry I keep messing things up but I promise to work harder.”

“I expect to see you tomorrow first thing, then.” Jihyo concludes and moves to gather her things. 

They spent a good five hours training but Jeongyeon kept messing up. The pressure of the dance competition being less than a month away, the load of work she had waiting for her at home, and especially Sana suddenly barging into her life again are making her feel fuzzy. 

Jeongyeon only nods at Jihyo before leaving the room, disappointed in herself. She wants to wash up and go home as soon as possible, take a nap and pray Sana doesn’t show up in her dreams. This time she knocks on the changing room door before opening it, but there’s no one inside. While she gets changed in a stall she hears someone walk in. The girl is humming a song and Jeongyeon’s heart speeds up when she recognizes the voice. She quickly wipes her face clean of sweet and sprays herself with a generous amount of deodorant before all but running out of the stall. 

She sees Sana leaving the room and she chases after her.

“Sana!” Jeongyeon yells and then covers her mouth when her voice resonates through the empty hallway. Sana turns to look at her, serious and with a sad glint in her eyes. Jeongyeon opens and closes her mouth, cheeks turning red when she realizes she has no idea what to say. She doesn't even know why she followed her, but now Sana is in front of her looking prim and perfect as always, even if she’s also been training for a few hours now; and she’s looking at Jeongyeon expectantly. “Can we talk?”

Sana ponders for a bit, looking Jeongyeon up and down and then into her training room where Jeongyeon assumes her teammates are waiting. She nods at Jeongyeon and tilts her head. 

“Can we go someplace else?” Jeongyeon fiddles with her hands behind her back. She fully expects Sana to ignore her, to just turn around and leave her standing alone just like Jeongyeon did to her. But Sana’s always been too kind. 

“Hm, let me get my things.”

♥

Jeongyeon takes Sana for take out at her favorite place near the studio. The whole walk is silent and awkward; Jeongyeon keeps her looking forward and tries to not show how affected she is by Sana’s stare being fixed on her like a hawk. Sana almost trips twice for not paying attention to where she’s stepping, but she doesn’t relent. 

Once they arrive, Jeongyeon orders for the both of them and they get their food fairly quickly, since it was rather early and not many people were there. They sit at one of the tables in the street across from each other.

Jeongyeon takes deep breaths in as if she was going to start speaking, but at the last moment she purses her lips and does a small  _ mhmp  _ sound. Sana has to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling; she’s mad at Jeongyeon, she can’t find her endearing right now. After a few minutes, Jeongyeon clears her throat and finally speaks up. 

“So, what brings you to Korea?”

Sana arches an eyebrow in disbelief. She expected Jeongyeon to talk about what happened, but of course she would avoid the subject first.

“My dance studio qualified for a competition here in Seoul. I take it you’re participating too?”

“Yeah, I’m part of the studio holding the event…” Jeongyeon moves her noodles around with her chopsticks, still avoiding Sana’s gaze.

“It’s nice to see you still dance,” Sana says softly, finally giving Jeongyeon a break as she moves her gaze towards her food. Jeongyeon knows that even if Sana is mad at her, she means it, and it makes her feel worse for how she treated her.

“Well, not really… My friends are part of the studio and one of their teammates flaked out and they needed a replacement soon so… yeah.” Jeongyeon and Sana look up at the same time and their eyes meet; Sana is still as intense as Jeongyeon remembers.

“We’ll be up against each other, then.” Sana smirks. She takes a mouthful of noodles and flutters her eyelashes at Jeongyeon in a teasing manner. 

“Yeah, so we can’t be friends. We’re basically enemies.” Jeongyeon stammers, she refuses to let Sana fluster her so much. 

“Is that why you pretended not to know me?” Sana’s eyes are sly but there’s a hint of hurt in her voice. 

“I’m really sorry about that...”

“Hm, we’re enemies, so I understand.” Everything about Sana is  _ so  _ teasing that Jeongyeon has a hard time keeping herself from blushing. Her eyes, her voice, and the little smirk she has…

“Exactly. I shouldn’t even be here with you right now.” Jeongyeon shrugs with faux disinterest, going as far as chewing with her mouth slightly open.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell your friends you paid for the enemy's dinner.”

“Hey, it’s just basic manners-” Jeongyeon begins to protest and Sana smiles cheekily. “Whatever.”

They don’t say much for the rest of the evening, save for a few comments from Sana about how good the noodles were, and every time they make eye contact they smile and bashfully look away. More people start coming to the bar and they decide it’s time to leave. By then the temperature has dropped, and when they get up Jeongyeon notices Sana shiver slightly and instinctively reaches for her coat, but stops herself when she remembers they’re not friends anymore, and it’s not her place to worry about Sana. Or at least that’s what she tries to make herself believe.

“Where are you staying?” Jeongyeon asks. She gently leads Sana through the crowd with a hand on her shoulder, and Sana doesn’t bother suppressing her big smile.

“Around the corner from the studio, so not that far I think?”

“Hm, I’ll walk you.”

“I can go by myself, thanks.”

“But you don’t know Seoul. It’ll be safer if I go with you.”

Sana can’t stop smiling as she snuggles closer to Jeongyeon, who has wrapped her arm around her shoulders unconsciously to keep people from bumping into her. 

She isn’t dumb, and she knows everything Jeongyeon said were pure excuses. She can see the way Jeongyeon reacts near her, and since she’s not entirely sure what it all means, she’s gonna have to keep pushing until she finds out. 

They reach the apartment in no time, and only then does Jeongyeon step back, apparently just realizing that she held Sana all the way.

“Thanks for coming with me today… I really am sorry about running away, but seeing you was just… unexpected.” Jeongyeon rubs the back of her neck and looks at Sana bashfully. Sana steps closer to her and fixes the lapels of her jacket even if they were perfectly fine.

“It’s ok, seeing a shirtless girl must have been quite a shock to you.”

Jeongyeon blushes profoundly and Sana laughs loudly, throwing her head back a little. 

“You- Wow, I can’t believe you went there. If you must know, I’m perfectly acquainted with- boobs.”

“Oh, I bet,” Sana giggles and Jeongyeon shakes her head in disbelief. While Jeongyeon is busy covering her face in shame, Sana sneaks her hand into her pocket and grabs her phone.

“Hey! Give that back.” Jeongyeon reaches out but Sana stretches her arm to keep her away. She types something quickly with her free hand and then gives it back.

“There.”

“What did you do?” 

“Now you have my phone number.” Sana's smile is anything but innocent, and her shrug doesn’t fool Jeongyeon. “You must always keep your enemies close, Jeongyeonie.” Sana winks and  _ blows a kiss  _ and Jeongyeon is at a loss for words. 

Sana chuckles all the way up to her apartment, feeling warm inside. Jeongyeon hadn’t changed at all in the time they were apart.

♥

**_Jeongyeon:_ **

_ I got home safe. _

**_Sana:_ **

_ Wow, I didn’t think you’d actually text me _

_ But thanks for letting me know _

**_Jeongyeon:_ **

_ Why wouldn’t I? _

**_Sana:_ **

_ You have the habit of not texting back :p _

**_Jeongyeon:_ **

_ Come on… that’s not fair _

**_Sana:_ **

_ I have to sleep now, so goodnight _

_ And don’t worry, I won’t fraternize with u again _

**_Jeongyeon:_ **

_ Goodnight... _

♥

It’s the first day of the competition and the waiting rooms are filled with tension. Many countries were participating since Jeongyeon’s studio was fairly renowned, and they distributed the rooms randomly between all the teams. Some european teams were using two of the rooms by the end of the hallway, some north americans were using another one, and in the last room, South Korea and Japan.

Jeongyeon tries  _ hard  _ to avoid Sana and focus on her teammates, but it’s really hard when they keep making eye contact through the mirror when Jeongyeon is practicing her moves. She messes up more than usual, and Jihyo looks ready to bite her head off. So for her own sake, Jeongyeon decides to talk to Sana.

They didn’t talk again at the studio the two other times they ran into each other, but they did exchange a few texts after their non-date almost a week ago. Most of them were Sana sending her good morning texts or random things like cat videos or pictures of small animals dressed as TV characters. Jeongyeon acted like it annoyed her, but in reality she looked forward to Sana’s texts.

Jeongyeon excuses herself saying she’s going to the bathroom and, on her way out, not so discreetly motions with her head for Sana to follow her. Once Sana also leaves the room, Jeongyeon grabs her wrist and drags her towards the backstage, where they hide behind a rack of costumes.

“You know, we aren’t actually  _ mortal enemies  _ or something. You’re not gonna get in trouble for speaking to me.” Sana reasons but Jeongyeon shushes her.

“You don’t know my friends. If they get mad, I’m in  _ danger _ , and right now they’re mad because I keep messing up.”

“And you brought me here because…?”

“Because you keep distracting me!”

Sana tilts her head and smiles teasingly. When she speaks, her voice is soft and sweet as honey, but it puts Jeongyeon on edge.

“Me? But I haven’t been doing anything.” She flutters her eyelashes and Jeongyeon groans.

“You’ve been doing  _ that,  _ you keep looking at me like-” Jeongyeon motions her hands around as if that explained it. “Just don’t look at me!”

Sana chuckles and then sighs. Jeongyeon’s eyebrows are knit as she looks at Sana, and she gulps when the Japanese woman licks her lips.

“Alright then, I won’t bother you…” Sana takes a look around the backstage before holding onto Jeongyeon’s shoulders and getting on her tiptoes to leave a kiss on Jeongyeon’s cheek. “May the best team win.” 

Jeongyeon is on the verge of combusting. Sana just giggles and leaves for the room, a little spring on her step. Jeongyeon covers her face with her hands and screams. Sana is infuriating. 

She makes it back to the room and sees that Sana kept her word, she really isn’t paying her any attention, instead she’s rapidly talking in Japanese with her teammates.

“What happened to you?” Nayeon’s voice makes Jeongyeon snap her head when she realizes it was her who had been staring at Sana now. “You’re so red.”

Jeongyeon sees Sana giggle and blushes even further.

“Nothing. Should we practice once more?” 

They keep going over the steps until it’s time to change and get ready to get on stage. Jeongyeon keeps her eyes glued to the floor in front of her, where she’s standing near a corner. She can see everyone taking off their clothes out of the corner of her eye in the reflection of the mirror, and she really,  _ really _ , has no intention in giving Sana more material to tease her with. 

The first round of the competition begins and it’s Jeongyeon’s team that opens the show. The lights are blinding and the smoke machine makes her cough a bit, but things go surprisingly well. No one makes any mistakes and the performance ends perfectly with loud applause and cheer from the crowd.

They watch the rest of the teams from the TV in the waiting room, and when the Japan team gets ready to perform, they wish them good luck. Dahyun even says something in japanese and the three girls coo at her on their way out.

Jeongyeon knows Sana is good, but she hasn’t seen her dance in years. Which is why she is blown away when the music starts and Sana begins moving. Jeongyeon is mesmerized, Sana is graceful and her body meets every beat perfectly. Her teammates are also amazing dancers, they make that more than clear, but Jeongyeon can’t take her eyes off Sana. 

The public seems to think so as well, because when their routine ends, they erupt in cheers that the girls can hear even from the backstage room. Since they were one of the last teams, they don’t come back into the room, rather they wait in the backstage for the last team to perform.

When they all walk back to the stage for the ranking announcements, Jeongyeon’s palms are sweaty and her friends are all nervous. The competitors were amazing and it was hard to guess who would be making it to the next round. Nayeon leans her head on Jeongyeon’s head, nervous, and Jeongyeon pats her butt to comfort her. 

Neither Korea nor Japan get the first place, but they make it to the next round with good rankings: Japan second and Korea third. Jeongyeon’s friends aren’t too happy about it, but at least they’re still in the competition. Jeongyeon is bummed but when she sees Sana jumping happily with her friends, a wave of affection washes through her. But it’s quick, and all the affection she feels is quickly replaced by dread and something that tastes bitter in her mouth. She swallows it down and tries to put on her best smile.

♥

Jeongyeon sighs as her tired back finally hits the mattress. She thought she would be so exhausted from the day that she would fall asleep quickly, but instead, she can’t stop thinking about Sana. Even when she closes her eyes and tries to think of  _ anything  _ else, the girl still shows up.

She groans and rubs her tired eyes. Seeing Sana so happy made her remember all the times she made Sana giddy like that, how cheery she was in general, especially around Jeongyeon. All the older woman had to do back then was return her affections or buy her sweets and Sana would be all giggles and sunshine. But Jeongyeon lost all that the moment she moved back to Korea and decided that cutting Sana off was better than facing her feelings. Because there was a sea between them and there was no point in longing for a girl she would never meet again.

Jeongyeon knows she won’t get any sleep that night unless she does something, so she grabs her phone and opens Sana’s chat. She types in a few things she ends up deleting, because nothing seems to be good enough. Jeongyeon frowns and tries to think of something casual and cool to say, but she keeps deleting every idea. She doesn’t notice that Sana had gone online, so when the three dots appear she almost drops her phone.

**_Sana:_ **

_ I can’t believe you doubt what to say even in a text _

This leaves Jeongyeon even more speechless, so Sana texts again.

**_Sana:_ **

_ It’s cute _

_ Did u want to tell me something? _

Jeongyeon ignores Sana calling her cute because if she doesn’t she might just lose it, so instead she types whatever and goes for it. 

**_Jeongyeon:_ **

_ Congrats on coming in 2nd today _

_ You really did an amazing job, i was impressed _

**_Sana:_ **

_ Aww thank you Jeongie, means a lot coming from you _

_ You weren’t so bad yourself ;) _

They keep texting late into the night until Sana says she’s going to sleep. Jeongyeon is still thinking about her, but now her negative thoughts have been replaced by butterflies in her stomach. Sana, ever so sweet, doesn’t seem to hold any grudge, even though Jeongyeon thinks she definitely deserves it. Sana makes Jeongyeon so happy with just some simple words that Jeongyeon wants to be selfish and let Sana back into her life, if she will allow it. She has a chance to make things right with her, and she plans on seizing that opportunity.

♥

Jeongyeon is  _ terrible  _ with girls, and absolutely awful at keeping secrets. She tries her best to act casual and unbothered but she always ends up making a fool of herself. Like one time, she thinks she’s being sly by leaning against a wall when Sana walks by in the corridors; but Sana finds it amusing, calls her cute and pinches her cheek. Not only is Jeongyeon embarrassed, but when she turns around she finds Chaeyoung looking at her from the end of the corridor, quietly sipping from a juice box.

“Uh, this is not what it looks like.”

“What does it look like?” Chaeyoung asks flatly.

“We’re not… friends, or anything.” 

“I have eyes, Jeongyeon. You like her.”

“Do not.”

Chaeyoung looks at her in disbelief and Jeongyeon huffs.

“Ok I do like her. But you can’t tell the others.”

“Of course not, I won’t say a thing. But Jeong, you need help.”

“I know,” Jeongyeon nods sadly. Chaeyoung wraps her arm around her shoulder (she has to stand on her tiptoes) and they walk back to the training room together.

Chaeyoung decides she will help Jeongyeon, after all, what kind of friend would she be if she didn’t help her get a girlfriend? She’s seen enough to know she’s  _ doomed _ .

So Chaeyoung crafts an intricate plan, and the first step is _ asking Sana out on a proper date. _

Jeongyeon waits for Sana after practice, going over her lines in her head, but she gets tongue tied when Sana walks out with her friends. Not only is Jeongyeon intimidated by them, but Sana looks stunning and Jeongyeon has a hard time making any sense. Jeongyeon tries greeting them in Japanese but she ends up fumbling her words. Thankfully, Sana tells her friends to get going, and once they’re alone Jeongyeon babbles out an invitation to have dinner that night. Sana accepts, giddy. The date isn’t anything crazy, they go to a chill place in the center of the city and share some bottles of soju. When Jeongyeon walks Sana home, she kisses her cheek in an act of bravery, one Chaeyoung will later applaud. Sana blushes and giggles and hurries inside, because she’s supposed to make Jeongyeon flustered, not the other way around.

The second step is  _ letting Sana know she thinks about her throughout the day _ . So Jeongyeon starts being more active with the text messages, texting Sana good morning before the other woman gets up and even sending some funny selfies when she feels like it. She goes as far as buying a bottle of apple juice for Sana and going by her training room to give it to her. However, Sana wasn’t there and she had to face Mina and Momo. They’re beyond nice and Jeongyeon tries her best to chat in her rusty Japanese. Sana comes back from the cafeteria with a melon bread and her face lights up when she sees Jeongyeon. While Jeongyeon had gotten her the juice, Sana had gotten her a snack. They share sweet smiles that make Momo fake gag. Sana punches her once Jeongyeon is gone. 

The third step is  _ actually talking to her in front of the others _ , especially to test the waters. In the second round of the competition, they share the waiting room again, and Jeongyeon starts a conversation with the japanese team. Sana looks entertained and thankful that Jeongyeon is doing the effort. Nayeon and Jihyo get friendly with them, too, although Nayeon seems to be a bit annoyed when Jihyo fawns over Mina a bit too much. They both make it to the third and final round, and Chaeyoung has the bright idea of going to dinner altogether to celebrate. Jihyo jumps to support the idea, and so a few hours later Jeongyeon is stuck sitting next to Sana in a crowded Japanese restaurant. Sana keeps grabbing Jeongyeon’s knee under the table, making her jump, and when Sana rubs her fingers over her thigh Jeongyeon has to excuse herself to the bathroom before she goes crazy. Sana just laughs and lets her go, and once she returns she doesn’t keep teasing her, even if their hands brush together ever so often,  _ accidentally _ .

Chaeyoung’s guidance is fruitful, because Jeongyeon and Sana start going out almost every day. It’s like the bond they had in high school was never gone, but the undeniable pull between them seems to be even stronger now.

On one of their nightly dates, Sana invites Jeongyeon to the cinema. It’s a funny, cheesy romantic movie and they leave the theater laughing at how silly the characters were. They held hands the whole movie, and didn’t let go even when they left the room. (They don’t mention it). 

While they were inside, it started to rain. They don’t have an umbrella and their chances of finding a cab are bad. Jeongyeon takes a look at all the people running to get shelter from the rain and then at her hand intertwined with Sana’s.

“My apartment isn’t that far from here,” Jeongyeon smiles like a mischievous child and Sana mirrors it. “Should we make a run for it?”

Jeongyeon hasn’t felt so free and alive in forever. Her feet get soaked in the puddles of water on the sidewalk, and Sana somehow ends walking right below the edge of a balcony, getting all the dirty water on her head. They laugh loud, like there’s no one in the world but them, and they kick water at each other and Jeongyeon tries to push Sana, but they end up hugging and almost falling together onto the street. Their clothes and hair stick to their bodies and they will surely catch a cold, Jeongyeon’s throat already feels a bit hoarse, but Sana is glowing, her smile is bright and her eyes even more so. Jeongyeon wouldn’t trade that moment with Sana for anything.

When they make it to the apartment they’re dripping all over the hall and Sana slips on her way up the stairs. Jeongyeon lets her in and shakes her head like a dog, getting even more water on Sana and the wall behind her. They’re laughing and leaning against each other on the doorway when Jeongyeon feels someone clearing her throat next to them.

Tzuyu looks at them with an amused expression, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. She’s holding a mug of coffee in her hands and she takes a sip while looking at them suspiciously before she walks into the kitchen.

Sana hides her laugh behind her hand and Jeongyeon chuckles. It’s like she cannot stop smiling no matter what happens.

“That’s my roommate… maybe I can introduce you two once we get dry.”

“I think this look suits me,” Sana puckers her lips and strikes a pose, leaning towards Jeongyeon, thinking she’s gonna chicken out like she always does. However, Sana stumbles and almost loses her balance when Jeongyeon leans in, barely missing her lips by an inch. 

Jeongyeon has only made Sana blush a handful of times, but when it happens, she feels victorious. She lets it slide, though, and she grabs Sana’s hand to lead her to her room. Jeongyeon gets some towels and lends Sana a change of clothes. She plans on going to the bathroom and let Sana change there, but Sana stops her before she can leave.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me without a shirt on, right Jeongyeonie?” Sana says in between giggles and Jeongyeon turns around with a groan. She faces away from Sana and dries her head with the towel.

“How many times are you gonna mention that? I already apologized.”

“And I said you shouldn’t be sorry…” Jeongyeon hears Sana’s steps and chills run down her back when she feels her proximity. Sana places a delicate hand on her shoulder and makes her turn around. She’s only wearing her bra, and Jeongyeon briefly glances down before fixing her eyes on the wall behind Sana.

The japanese girl lets out an airy laugh, but there’s a hint of nerves on her voice.

“Look at me, Jeongyeonie.” Sana whispers, and she cups Jeongyeon’s jaw softly. Jeongyeon looks at her and feels as if time had stopped. Sana’s eyes had always been so expressive, always looking right into Jeongyeon’s soul. Jeongyeon licks her lips and Sana’s gaze lowers towards them.

Sana leans in and kisses her, it’s short and chaste and it’s over before Jeongyeon can process what just happened. Jeongyeon doesn’t respond right away and Sana thinks she might have misunderstood everything. She has an apology on the tip of her tongue until Jeongyeon cups her cheeks and brings her in for another kiss.

It’s slow and shy, like they’re afraid of going too fast or pushing a limit. But it’s sweet and everything Jeongyeon thought kissing Sana would be. The cold from the water sipping through her clothes leaves in an instant and it’s replaced by warmth, spreading from her cheeks to her neck. 

When they break apart from the kiss, Sana’s eyes are glossy and her cheeks dusted in light pink. Jeongyeon already wants to kiss her again. She’s about to go for it, but Sana’s phone starts ringing and she steps away from Jeongyeon with a whine.

“Sorry, that’s Momo’s ringtone… She won’t stop calling until I answer,” Sana picks up and rolls her eyes playfully. “Hi, yes… yes I’m alright…” There are long pauses so Jeongyeon assumes Momo must be telling her a lot of things. “I’m with Jeongyeon, we came to her apartment… Momo!” Sana looks scandalized and Jeongyeon chuckles. Sana continues the call while Jeongyeon finishes drying off. “I’ll be back when the rain stops… I don’t care!... Oh, hi Mina… yes I’m ok…”

Jeongyeon makes a sign to Sana that she will be in the kitchen and Sana makes an  _ ok  _ sign. Jeongyeon finds Tzuyu sitting on the kitchen table, and the second she sees Jeongyeon she quirks a teasing eyebrow at her.

“Shut up.”

“I haven’t said a thing.”

Jeongyeon squints at Tzuyu, not trusting her to stay quiet. Tzuyu squints back, and they have a staring competition until Sana walks into the kitchen. Jeongyeon’s heart does a summersault when she sees Sana looking so comfortable and soft in her university sweater. Much like the jacket she gave to her years ago, this is also slightly big on her and she ends up with sweater paws.

“Hi… It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sana.” She bows and offers her hand to Tzuyu. 

“Tzuyu,” The younger girl shakes it with a friendly smile. “Please, make yourself at home. Do you want some coffee?”

Sana is happy that Tzuyu is being so kind with her and agrees with a nod before sitting down on the table. 

“Why are you being so nice?” Jeongyeon leans against the counter with her arms crossed. Tzuyu, facing away from Sana, winks at Jeongyeon.

“You make it sound like I’m rude… besides she’s your girlfriend, I have to be extra nice.”

“She’s not-” Jeongyeon wants to punch Tzuyu but she can’t do it in front of Sana. Tzuyu seems to know this, because she sticks her tongue out at her like a child. “We’re not girlfriends.”

Sana purses her lips and looks down to stifle a laugh. Jeongyeon mouths profanities at Tzuyu and her friend just shrugs before setting the coffee mug in front of Sana.

“Doesn’t look like that to me…”

♥

The rain stops around ten p.m. Jeongyeon tells Sana she can stay if she wants, after all it’s a bit late to be out, but Sana insists her roommates will worry the whole night. Jeongyeon offers to walk her, and Sana doesn’t bother turning her down since she knows Jeongyeon will do it anyway. 

They walk hand in hand through the empty streets. Sana kept Jeongyeon’s hoodie and even borrowed an extra jacket, but Jeongyeon insists she must be cold, so she puts their laced hands inside her pocket. Sana doesn’t mind at all. Since they live close by, it’s a short walk, and they’re in front of Sana’s door in no time. They linger by the entrance, neither really wants to say goodbye yet.

“Jeongyeonie?” Sana looks shy, which is unusual for her. Jeongyeon hums in acknowledgement and Sana takes a deep breath. “Would it be so bad if we were girlfriends?”

Jeongyeon is a bit taken aback by the question, but seeing the uncertainty in Sana’s eyes, she decides to be honest and straightforward for once.

“Of course not… I denied it because I didn’t know what you thought about…  _ us _ . I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Sana laughs and shakes her head. Her eyes glimmer under the street lamps and they’re so full of love Jeongyeon feels warm all over.

“How could I be? I’ve liked you since high school, I could never-”

“You what?” Jeongyeon interrupts her and her jaw falls slack. She can’t believe Sana just said- “You  _ liked me _ ? Since  _ high school _ ?”

“Well, yeah… of course I got over it eventually after you left but I always thought of you every now and then...:”

“Sana, I was in love with you.” Jeongyeon blurts out, and after so many years, it feels like a weight is lifted off her chest. 

She tried to deny it for so long. She told herself that Sana was nothing but a dear friend to her, that it was normal to feel your heart beat erratically every time your best friend hugged you or kissed your cheek. She told herself that Sana would never return her feelings so many times.

Sana looks at her agape for a few seconds, brow furrowed. Jeongyeon can’t help but worry that she’s said too much, but then Sana starts laughing. It’s so contagious Jeongyeon can’t help but start laughing too. Her heart feels light, being here with Sana.

“We’re so dumb, oh my god… are you serious?”

“Yeah! I thought it was pretty obvious to be honest, I worried you would catch up and stop talking to me.”

“Jeongyeon, I was all over you! All the time!”

“I thought that was just your way of being!” Jeongyeon shrugs and Sana shakes her head in disbelief. 

Sana hugs her, and it’s just like she used to do it when they were teens. The kind of hug that makes Jeongyeon stumble backwards and have to hold onto Sana to avoid her falling on top of her. 

Hugging Sana feels like coming home. Jeongyeon closes her eyes and enjoys the embrace she missed so much. They stay like that for a good while, holding each other in the street, not having a care in the world other than being together. 

Sana’s phone vibrates on her pocket and she throws her head back, annoyed. “Can’t they let me have something… I’m gonna kill them.” Sana doesn’t even pick up the call, she just hangs up.

“You better go before they call the police.” 

“They are worse than my mother…” Sana sighs and pockets her phone. Jeongyeon catches her off guard when she leans in to kiss her. Sana wraps her arms around her neck and Jeongyeon rounds her waist. Their lips fit together perfectly and Sana hums into the kiss. Jeongyeon breaks the kiss with a smirk and steps away.

“Goodnight Sana. Sleep well.”

“When did you get so cheeky…” Sana rolls her eyes and steals one more kiss before she reluctantly walks into the building. Once Sana is gone, Jeongyeon starts panicking.

“I can’t believe I just did that…” Jeongyeon grabs her hair, feeling quite affected by Sana’s kiss.

♥

Unofficially being with Sana makes time fly. They don’t discuss anything after the kiss, since it’s established that now Jeongyeon is with Sana and vice versa. And there aren’t many changes, either. They still go on dates almost every day, Sana still makes it her personal goal to make Jeongyeon flustered, and Jeongyeon keeps trying to be smooth. (Sana thinks Jeongyeon is smoother when she doesn’t try). 

However, as happy as Jeongyeon is with Sana, there’s something constantly looming over her head, and it’s the fact that Sana will leave once the competition ends. Jeongyeon doesn’t know if she will leave right away or if she will stay for a few days, but ultimately she has to leave. 

The date of the final round of the competition arrives way too fast for Jeongyeon’s liking.

They don’t share the waiting room this time; instead there’s a Danish team that doesn’t bother to look their way. So Jeongyeon can focus on rehearsing the steps and making sure she remembers all the little details. Her friends look nervous, Nayeon keeps talking to herself and Jihyo has chugged down five bottles of water already. Dahyun is sitting on a couch with her airpods on and eyes closed, and Chaeyoung sitting with her, leaning her head on her shoulder as she scrolls through her phone. 

Jeongyeon isn’t as nervous as she thought she would be. Not about the performance at least. Thinking about Sana fills her with both joy and worry. The other woman hasn’t mentioned anything about her plans for the future, and Jeongyeon has been too scared to ask. 

But still, Jeongyeon pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind and starts stretching. 

The crowd is even bigger than the last two times, and Jeongyeon can spot some people holding banners with their faces on them. She waves at the fans from the backstage, and she’s happy when she even sees some banners for the japanese team. The choreography they prepared for this round is intense and sharp, and Jeongyeon trusts her team will do well. They practiced late into the night four days a week, and she’s sure they all know the steps by muscle memory. Jeongyeon is a bit bummed she doesn’t get to see Sana before the show starts, though.

As always, the stage lights are blinding and adrenaline runs through her veins. The cheers spur them on and they finish dancing with a bang. Jeongyeon’s chest rises and falls but her smile doesn’t waver. She tries to take it in as much as she can; she doesn’t know when she will get to stand on a stage like this again. 

The korean team hugs when they get down from the stage and Nayeon presses her sweaty face into Jeongyeon, earning a groan and a push. Once they get back to the room, they fall onto the couches with a huff. The TV is showing the Spanish team performing, and Sana’s team goes next.

Jeongyeon bounces her leg up and down and bites her nails. Nayeon and Jihyo share a knowing look; even if Jeongyeon never  _ told  _ them about Sana, they have eyes, and it’s more than clear what kind of relationship they have. 

When the performance is about to start, Jeongyeon shushes everyone in the room even if no one was talking, and she sits on the edge of her seat.

Sana looks dazzling, wearing a shiny golden top and gold makeup on her eyes. Her stare is fiery and Jeongyeon shivers just from seeing it on screen. Sana becomes a totally different person when she’s on stage and Jeongyeon can’t get enough of seeing her.

The dance goes amazing, all their moves are precise and the song they picked suits them perfectly. Jeongyeon gapes through the whole performance and when it ends, she starts clapping as if she was in the audience.

They go back to the stage on shaky legs, and Jeongyeon is too far from Sana for her liking. They still make eye contact and Sana winks and blows a kiss at her. 

The announcer takes forever, as always, and Jeongyeon has to gulp down the nerves. They announce the third place and Jeongyeon closes her eyes. She doesn’t know what to expect, all the teams had been so good that anything could happen. The Spanish teams gets called, and then they move on.

“ _ The second place goes to… Sunset Studio!”  _ Jeongyeon holds onto Chaeyoung’s hand tightly, and she lets out a sigh when she hears the name of their studio being called out. The rest of the girls turn around for a group hug. Jihyo pats their butts and tells them they did a good job. She doesn’t look upset or too sad, just a bit disappointed. 

“ _ And finally, the first place… they will be taking a big sum of money home and, who knows, there might be more surprises…”  _ Jeongyeon curses whoever hired that man. Drum rolls sound from the speakers and confetti blows up on the stage. “ _ Japan’s studio, Bubblegum Dream!”  _

Jeongyeon gasps and looks towards the girls. The three of them are hugging each other and jumping around. Tears stream down Sana’s face, Momo has a huge smile plastered on her face and Mina is keeping her head low, presumably crying too. Jeongyeon’s eyes meet Sana’s across the stage. Sana smiles through the tears and Jeongyeon breaks into a smile as well. 

She doesn’t try to talk to her immediately, she lets her have her moment along with her teammates.

Once in the backstage, all the teams greet each other and take pictures together. Nayeon somehow got a champagne bottle, and she makes a mess when she opens it. Jeongyeon sees Sana and her friends giving interviews, and a bunch of people in business suits waiting for them. 

Jeongyeon is happy for her, but she can’t help but feel bitter. Not because she lost, but because it means what they have could be over very soon.

It takes a few hours until everyone is done celebrating and talking with each other. Everyone is exhausted and some people need to catch flights the next day. Jeongyeon stays behind, though, making time by the auditorium hall and telling her friends to get going without her.

Surely enough, Sana walks out a few minutes later. When she sees Jeongyeon, she runs towards her and jumps into her arms. Jeongyeon spins her around and kisses her cheek. 

“We want her home before eleven,” Momo squints and points a finger at Jeongyeon. They’ve become friends in the short time they’ve spent together, so Jeongyeon rolls her eyes at her teasingly.

“I make no promises.”

The japanese girls leave and Jeongyeon is left alone with Sana in the hall. 

“Do you want to get some ice cream?” Jeongyeon interlaces her hand with Sana’s and leads them out the door. Sana makes an offended face and furrows her brow.

“Ice cream? Are you not starving right now? Let’s go get some fried chicken, it’s on me.” 

The date isn’t any different from the others they’ve had, but Jeongyeon can’t help but feel like it might be their last one. They spent dinner laughing and talking about the competition. Jeongyeon doesn’t feel so tired, but she can see Sana’s eyes are starting to droop.

“Let’s get you home before Momo wants to fight me.” Jeongyeon stands up and helps Sana. 

The night is chilly but not too much, and they walk with their arms laced together. They go at a leisurely pace, simply enjoying the quiet night.

As they approach Sana’s apartment, Jeongyeon starts feeling more on edge. It feels awfully familiar to the last time she walked Sana home in Osaka. She takes a deep breath and bites the bullet.

“So what happens now?” Jeongyeon blurts out. Sana tilts her head to look at her with soft eyes.

“What do you mean?” 

“Are you… going back now? Or will you stay?” Jeongyeon bites her lip. She tries to act like it doesn’t affect her, but Sana knows better than that. 

“Well, it depends.” Sana smirks and halts their step. Jeongyeon looks at her worriedly and Sana wants to kiss her, but she also wants to build some suspense. 

“On what?” Jeongyeon asks, impatient. Sana pretends to think and chuckles when Jeongyeon huffs.

“If I take Seoul Univ’s offer to come study dance here.” 

Jeongyeon’s jaw drops and Sana giggles. Jeongyeon blinks rapidly, caught off guard.

“You got a- an offer from Seoul Uni?”

“A scholarship, yes.”

Sana shrieks when Jeongyeon wraps her in her arms and picks her up.

“Are you kidding? Sana, that’s so crazy!” Jeongyeon feels like crying right now. “You did so good! I’m so proud of you!”

“I haven’t accepted it yet,” Sana says cheekily, and Jeongyeon calms down. “I have to think it through. I have my whole life in Tokyo now.”

“Of course, I understand,” Jeongyeon clears her throat and straightens up. “I’m sorry I got so excited.”

“It’s cute. You’re cute.”

“If you decide to come here… I’ll help you get settled. I’ll be there for you.” Jeongyeon says in a small voice. “I’ll make things right this time.”

“You’ll text me when I go back to Japan?” Sana asks teasingly.

“Every hour if that’s what you want.” Jeongyeon chuckles and holds Sana’s hands. “But I’m serious. You mean a lot to me, Sana. I don’t want this to end here.” 

Sana seems to think for a moment, which seems to go forever for Jeongyeon. 

“Alright then. You better be waiting for me in the airport with flowers.”

They kiss under the moonlight and in that moment, Jeongyeon is sure that she would wait for Sana however long it took. No matter how long or how far Sana goes, Jeongyeon is always gonna be waiting for her. 

♥

_ January 2021, Seoul, South Korea. _

“Jeongyeon, you’re gonna crush those flowers.” Tzuyu sighs, leaning over Jeongyeon to take the bouquet from her hands.

“I’m sorry. Nerves are eating me alive.” Jeongyeon bounces her leg and looks over the window.

“What are you even looking at? We saw the plane land some minutes ago. She’s gonna come out any time now.” Tzuyu has run out of patience. She loves Jeongyeon, but when it comes to Sana she acts like she’s fourteen and it drives Tzuyu mad.

“Be honest, does this hair color suit me?” Jeongyeon grimaces and Tzuyu stands up, exhausted.

“Why did you dye your hair as a surprise if you weren’t sure?”

“I wanted to do something, I don’t know! You know I don’t think things through!”

A loud chatter fills the waiting area and Jeongyeon whips her head around like a dog that just smelled a squirrel. She jogs towards the exit, searching for Sana in the crowd. Tzuyu pushes the bouquet to her chest and Jeongyeon grabs it blindly.

“I’ll be in the car…”

When Jeongyeon spots Sana picking up her luggage, she starts sweating and has to gulp down the nerves. Sana looks tired from the flight, but she sees Jeongyeon and a huge smile breaks on her face. She runs through the rest of the passengers, not even apologizing for running an old lady over with her suitcase.

Sana jumps into Jeongyeon’s arms. As always, Jeongyeon steadies them. She buries her nose into Sana’s neck, a content sigh leaving her lips as she finally has her love back in her arms. 

“I missed you,” Jeongyeon mutters, feeling herself tear up.

“Me too,” Sana pulls away slightly, keeping their bodies close to each other. “But I’m here to stay now.”

They kiss in the middle of the crowded airport. All other sounds die down and they get immersed in their own bubble. 

They walk out hand in hand and get into Tzuyu’s car. Sana greets Tzuyu excitedly and the girl reciprocates her energy.

“It’s good to have you back, Sana. Maybe now Jeongyeon can shut up about you.” Tzuyu smirks at them over the rear view mirror. Jeongyeon flips her finger at her and Tzuyu laughs before starting the car.

“I’m glad to be here, too.” Sana shifts in the car seat and leans her head on Jeongyeon’s shoulder. “I don’t want to bother you but do you think we can pick up Momo and Mina from the airport next week? They had some things to settle back home so they’re flying later.”

“Sure, no problem.” Tzuyu nods at her. “If anything, I’ll just let Jeongyeon borrow the car.”

Tzuyu drops them off at the apartment. Sana leans over the drivers window to talk to her.

“You’re not coming?” 

“I have a date,” Tzuyu smiles cheekily and Sana acts impressed. “I might be back for dinner though.”

“I hope not!” Jeongyeon says in a faux happy tone, grabbing Sana’s hand and dragging her inside. 

They struggle up the stairs since Jeongyeon insisted on carrying Sana’s luggage, but they make it to the apartment safe and sound. 

“Welcome home,” Jeongyeon smiles and holds Sana’s hips. Sana loops her arms over her neck and presses their foreheads together. Somehow despite everything they went through, they managed to find each other again. 

Sana sighs, happy, and kisses Jeongyeon soundly. Standing there, with Jeongyeon in her arms, Sana truly is at home.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! if you're interested in commissions, i will be opening some soon on my twitter @dahyunayeon


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